Eleanor
by ShortStackOfPancakess
Summary: (Stranger Things AU) New neighbors move in next door to the Wheeler's and Mike meets the shy Eleanor who likes to be called El.
1. Chapter 1

It's four o clock in the morning and I'm up writing this, despite the fact that I have college tomorrow. (but hey who needs a degree)

I'm kinda aging up the characters in this but don't worry their still going to be lil innocent babies.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Stranger Things**

* * *

"You enter a dark cave, your sword ready for combat. You hear a loud sound surround you. BOOM BOOM BOOM" Mike exclaims, from behind his book, banging his fists down on the table for extra affect.

"Oh crap, what if it's the Demogorgon." Dustin says, worriedly running his hands through his curly hair, knocking off his baseball hat in the process.

"It can't be." Lucas says while looking over the board and contemplating his next move.

"It's probably just trolls." Will chimes in, smiling at his friends.

"The sound gets closer to you; you shiver in anticipation." Mike continues, smirking slightly at how excited his friends were getting.

"Oh man we are so screwed if it's the Demogorgon." Dustin says.

"It's not the Demogorgon." Lucas says loudly, getting agitated with his friend.

"The creature comes into the light and the Demogorgon stands before you and raises his claw to you."

"Quick Will roll the dice." Lucas says, hurriedly.

Will rushes to roll the dice and they both fly off the table.

"What did it land on?" Lucas asks as his friends get up out their seats to look for the dices.

"Mike honey, finish up the game." Mrs. Wheeler says, standing at the top of the stairs.

"But mom, we're just getting to the good part." Mike argues.

"It's dinner time." Mrs. Wheeler says sternly, looking past Mike towards his friends.

"Are any of you boys staying for dinner?" Mrs. Wheeler asks kindly.

"Not me, my mom wants me home for dinner this evening." Lucas says walking towards the stairs. "bye guys." He calls as he disappears up them.

"My mom wants me home for dinner too, thanks anyway Mrs, Wheeler." Will says, following after Lucas calling a quick goodbye to his friends.

"Looks like it's just me, what are we having today?" Dustin asks, smiling at Karen.

"Meatloaf." Karen answers, smiling fondly at him.

"Yes my favourite." Dustin says excitedly, smiling widely.

"Well you two clean up and be up stairs quickly, we don't want the food getting cold." Karen says, walking briskly up the stairs.

* * *

"I saw a moving van outside the Johnson's old place, looks like we're finally getting new neighbors." Nancy chimes, looking around the table to gauge the reaction of everyone.

"Let's hope their quite." Ted says, still chewing his meatloaf.

"I have already made up a welcome basket for them, maybe once your home from college tomorrow we can take it over together, Nancy?" Mrs. Wheeler says, raising her eyebrows expectantly at her daughter.

"Of course mother, that's a wonderful idea." Nancy says, smiling innocently.

"Goody two shoes." Mike mumbles to Nancy, earning him a kick in the shin followed by a dirty look.

"What was that, Michael?" Mrs. Wheeler asks, looking stern.

"Mike was just saying that he would love to come too, weren't you Mike?" Nancy proclaims, smiling sneakily at her brother.

"Oh that's a wonderful idea, Michael. Hopefully they have a child your age you can be friends with."

"I have friends." Mike interjects.

"I know that Michael, but it can't hurt to make more. You guys have been friends since you were little kids. Now that your all in high school maybe it's time to expand your group" Karen says, while putting another spoonful of food in Holly's mouth.

"I have all the friends I could possibly want." Mike says so sternly that no one at the table argues with him.

* * *

"Mom, I look stupid." Mike says, fidgeting with the bow tie his mom tied too tight around his neck.

"Seriously, why did I have to wear my best, it's not like their royalty." Mike pouts, trying to loosen the death grip the piece of fabric had around his neck.

"Hush Mike, I hear someone coming." Nancy says, as the front door opens.

"Can I help you?" Mike hears a gruff voice, looking up he sees a tall skinny man with white hair and a stare that could kill.

"Hello, I'm Mrs. Wheeler and these are my kids Nancy and Michael and we just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood." Karen says, holding out the basket filled with baked goods to him.

"Well…...that's nice I guess…..am why don't you come in for a sec?" The man says, seeming confused at the actions of Mrs. Wheeler.

"Great, were just next door, my husband wanted to call too but his stuck at work." Karen says, walking into the house, her eyes judging the mess quickly.

"Your wife home?" Karen asks, looking around her.

"Sadly no, it's just me and my daughter. My wife passed away a few years ago." The man says, no trace of emotion on his face.

"By the way, I'm Martin Brenner." Mr. Brenner says, holding out his hand for Karen to shake.

"Sorry to hear that Martin, it must be hard raising a daughter all by yourself." Karen says, shaking his hand.

"It's not easy let's put it that way." Brenner says, then turns his attention towas Mike.

"Eleanor should be about your age. Would you like to go say hi to her, she's just in the living room, through there?" Mr. Brenner says to Mike.

"Uh sure." Mike says shrugging, walking towards the living room, glad to be escaping the adults.

When Mike enters the living room he sees a frail girl sitting by the window on the floor as there wa no furniture in the room. She had chestnut brown hair that fell to her shoulders and she was reading a worn copy of Peter Pan.

She looked up startled when Mike entered the room.

"Hey I'm your neighbor, my mom made me come over with her. Your dad told me to come in and talk to you." Mike says, smiling shyly at the young girl.

She nods slowly, her eyes still wide with fear.

"My name is Mike, short for Michael." He offers, waiting for her to talk but she just states at him looking panicked.

"You like Peter Pan huh?" Mike says, sitting down in front of her.

Eleanor nods again, a small smile creeping onto her face.

"Why do you like it?" Mike asks, trying to get her to talk.

The girl simply shrugs, her eyes going back to the book.

"Don't talk much huh?" Mike asks, smiling at her. Not knowing why, he was suddenly so smiley around a girl he didn't even know.

She shrugs again, her eyes not leaving her book.

"Michael were leaving." He hears his mother shout and he doesn't miss the way the girl's body jumps from the fright of the shout.

"Well I guess I'll see you around Eleanor." Mike says, getting up and dusting off his pants.

"No." He hears a small voice say and he looks down at her stunned.

"So you can speak." He says smiling "No what?" he asks.

"Not Eleanor…. El." she answers, smiling slightly up at him.

"Well El, I'll see you around." Mike says, smiling widely.

"See you around, Mike." El says, her attention going back to her book, missing the way the teenage boy blushes at the sound of her voice saying his name.

* * *

Please please please take the time to review and let me know what you think, should I continue?

Xoxo, J.


	2. Chapter 2

Finally had time to sit down and write, seriously questioning on whether or not I actually need a degree.

* * *

"Did you guys do the English homework?" Lucas asks his friends as they all lean against their locker waiting for the bell to ring.

"Wait we had homework, what was it?" Dustin asks, worriedly.

"We had to write a poem, seriously Dustin. You need to start listening more in English." Mike scolds, moving to stand in front of him.

"What's the point I'm pretty sure English is a dead subject, take math and science. Now their subjects that aren't going anywhere and you know why? Cause their interesting, they make one think. If you ask me English won't even be a requirement in a few years."

"Your so dense, English will always be a requirement." Lucas says

"Wait and see my friend, wait and see." Dustin says, shrugging his shoulders.

"What are you going to do, we have to recite the poem next class." Will inquires.

"It's fine, I'll just make up something on the spot." Dustin says nonchalantly.

"Hey freak." Troy says, suddenly behind Mike and pushing him into the locker, causing Mike to slap his nose against it. Troy walks away laughing with his goonies.

"You okay Mike?" Will asks, placing his hand on Mike's shoulder worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Mike assures his friends.

"Your nose is bleeding, Mike." Will says, just as the bell rings in the background.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom, tell Mrs. Goggin I had a nose bleed and had to go clean up." Mike says, rushing away from his friends and down the hallway. As he turns around the corner he runs into someone.

Mike's hands instantly go up to the person's shoulders trying to steady the small body in front of him.

"So sorry." Mike says, his eyes widening when he sees who's in front of him.

"Oh hey Eleanor." Mike says, grinning slightly.

"El." She corrects, stepping back slightly so that his hands slip off her shoulders.

"Oh right sorry El." Mike supplies, blushing.

"What happened?" El asks, looking worried, gesturing to his nose.

"Oh nothing, just a nose bleed." Mike says, shrugging.

El nods slightly, her eyes wandering around the empty corridor.

"Shouldn't you be in class." Mike asks.

El nods her eyes worried. "Are you lost?" Mike asks, smiling politely.

El nods again, hesitantly passing Mike her timetable.

Mike takes it eagerly, studying it carefully.

"It says here, you have history with Mr. Jefferson right now. It's just down the hall, room 205. Do you want me to show you?" Mike asks, handing back her timetable.

"No, I'll find it, you should go clean that." El says, pointing at his nose.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Mike says, his hand subconsciously going to his now very bloody nose. "See you later?" Mike questions.

"Later." El all but whispers, turning away and walking down the hall.

* * *

"Man, I can't believe Mrs. Goggin actually complimented your poem, how could she not tell you were bullshitting it." Lucas laughs as the gang walk into the cafeteria.

"Hey, it was a good poem." Dustin argues, as they all gather around the cafeteria table.

"You talked about your love of peanut butter for five minutes straight." Will says, laughing lightly.

"I don't know how you got away with it man." Mike says, shaking his head while he unwraps the sandwich his mom packed for him this morning.

"Nobody can resist this baby face." Dustin says, pinching his chubby cheeks and smiling sweetly.

"Hey looks like we got a new student." Will says, nodding his head in the direction towards the door.

Mike looks up in time to see El walk in with a frightened look on her face.

"That's Eleanor, she moved here a few days ago into old Johnsons house, she likes to be called El" Mike informs his friends, never taking his eyes off El as she looks around the cafeteria worriedly.

"A hot girl moves in next door to you and you don't tell your best friends." Dustin says in mock hurt, his hand going to his heart.

"Hey you were there when my family were talking about them." Mike says.

"Yeah but you never told me a HOT girl moved in." Dustin says, emphasising the word hot.

Mike is about to scold Dustin for calling her that twice but Will interjects before he can.

"Don't call a girl hot, its degrading, do you think we should ask her to join us she looks a little scared." Will says.

"Definitely not, the last thing we need is a girl wrecking our dynamic." Lucas interjects.

"And what dynamic would that be Lucas? the loser club." Dustin chuckles before cupping his hands over his mouth and shouting "El"

El looks over at their table her scared face going to shocked, her eyes glancing around the boys worriedly before they land on Mike. El's face twists into a slight smile as she makes her way over to the table, once she gets there she stands before them not saying anything.

"Um hey El. Um these are my friends, Lucas, Dustin and Will. Um would you like to sit with us?" Mike asks in a soft voice.

El nods slowly taking a seat across from the boys, eyeing them cautiously.

"So El, how's your first week going?" Will asks politely.

El shrugs, her attention going to her food she took out her school bag.

"You liking the neighbourhood you moved to?" Will asks, trying to get her to speak.

El nods, taking a small bite out of her sandwich.

"You don't talk much do you Ellie." Dustin says.

"It's El." Mike says, which makes El smile up at him gratefully.

"Is there something wrong with you like, mentally?" Lucas asks rudely, eyeing the young girl suspiciously.

El shakes her head, obvious hurt flashing across her face.

"Lucas, don't be an ass." Mike says, throwing him a stern look.

"Don't worry about him, he just takes a while to get used to new people." Mike says, leaning across the table to talk quietly to El. "Did you find your history class this morning?" Mike asks.

El nods, her small smile returning, making Mike smile widely in return, El points to Mike's nose a questioning look on her face.

"Yeah I'm fine, it was just a small nose bleed." Mike answers her unspoken question.

The two teens continue to smile at each other before an obnoxious voice breaks their trance.

"Hey look, it's true that freaks like to herd together." Troy says, standing in front of them glaring.

"Hey Eleanor, have you learned to talk yet?" Troy asks.

El looks down at the table, ignoring Troy and refusing to meet his eyes.

"It's alright Honey, we can do a lot of stuff that don't require talking." Troy says suggestively, winking towards his friends.

"Don't you have anything better to be doing Troy, or does your life revolve around making everyone as miserable as you." Mike says, trying to get the attention off El.

"What did you say freak?" Troy barks, walking towards him menacingly before one of his goons puts a hand on his shoulder stopping him.

"Teacher." He says to Troy, gesturing towards a teacher that was walking towards them.

"Watch yourself freak." Troy says, reaching over to knock Mike's opened drink over his sandwich before walking out the cafeteria.

"Mouthbreather." Mike mumbles, looking down at his now inedible food and then back to El, who had a guilty look on her face.

"Mouthbreather." El says quietly, nodding her head, then reaching down to grab half of her sandwich and handing it to mike.

"Thanks." Mike says, blushing lightly and almost exploding with excitement when he sees a light blush highlight her cheeks.

"So she can talk." Dustin exclaims, causing El and Mike to grin at each other.

* * *

Please Review

Xoxo, J.


	3. Chapter 3

**Updated this Fic on AO3 but forgot I had it published here too.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination, which unfortunately lacks creativity.**

* * *

"You guys want to hang out after dinner?" Dustin asks the other three boys as they unlock their bikes from the rack at the end of the school day.

"Sure, my house?" Mike asks, sitting on top his bike.

"Yeah, see you later," Dustin calls to the group as he bikes away, quickly followed by Will as he waves a goodbye.

"Look, it's the mute." Lucas says, motioning his head across the school to Eleanor as she starts walking on the road to her house.

"Don't call her that, she's really nice." Mike argues, punching Lucas's arm lightly.

"She's alright I guess" Lucas shrugs "Maybe you should give her a ride home, you live right beside her, and you obviously have a crush on her." Lucas smirks.

"I do not." Mike argues, his cheeks getting hot.

"So, you won't mind if I offer her a ride on my bike." Lucas says suggestively, raising his eyebrows mockingly as he leans forward on his bike preparing to take off.

Mike stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

"That makes no sense, I live closer to her." Mike says.

"Whatever dude, see you after dinner." Lucas chuckles, taking off swiftly.

Mike takes a deep breath trying to brace himself before biking over to Eleanor, slowing down right beside her.

"Hey, El." Mike says, smiling, stopping his bike altogether when El stops, giving him a shy smile.

"Hi, Mike."

"You have a good first day?" Mike asks, awkwardly shifting his feet on to the ground to steady the bike.

El shrugs half heartily, a slight frown on her face.

"Take no notice of Troy and his gooney, my mom tells me his just jealous that he only has like one friend."

"More friends than me." El whispers, her eyes widening as if she didn't mean to say that out loud. Mike frowns at her statement.

"Don't be silly El, you already have four friends and it's only your first day." Mike smiles.

"Four?" El questions.

"Yeah, Lucas, Will, Dustin and me." Mike grins.

"You're my friends?" El asks, her eyes hopeful.

"Of course, we are, we wouldn't have let you sit with us otherwise." Mike shrugs.

"But Lucas…. he didn't seem to like me." El says, her eyes growing sad again.

Mike frowns not liking how down on herself she was.

"That's just Lucas, he takes longer to trust people, but he will warm up to you eventually."

"You think?"

"Definitely, how could he not you're great." Mike exclaims, instantly going red at his outburst of words.

El smiles shyly again, her pale skin turning a light pink.

"Uh, I just mean you seem like a nice person and you know you're pretty and you seem smart and…" Mike trails off, stumbling over his words.

El laughs lightly, her eyes dancing.

"Um anyway, would you like a ride home, it would be ungentlemanly of me not to offer. Seen as we live right next door to one another." Mike shrugs, trying to downplay his nerves.

"Okay." El answers, moving closer to the bike but then stopping looking at it in confusion.

"Um just hop up behind me and place your legs on the rests." Mike stutters.

El climbs up behind Mike carefully as Mike tries his best to keep his breathing regular, it wasn't every day he had a pretty girl pressed into the back of him.

"You might want to put your hands around me." Mike stutters.

El carefully pulls her hands around Mike's stomach, holding on to him loosely.

Once Mike starts pedaling he hears El gasp lightly and tighten her hold around him, hiding her face in his neck. Mike smiles to himself trying to ignore the warm feeling in his tummy.

* * *

"Was that Eleanor Brenner I saw on the back of your bike." Mrs. Wheeler asks her son as she places the drinks on the table, sitting down to start eating.

"Yeah, I offered her a ride home, she was walking." Mike shrugs, keeping his attention on the meatloaf in front of him.

"She seems like a nice girl a bit quiet though. I wonder…." Karen trailed off, looking at her husband.

"There's nothing wrong with her." Mike interrupts glaring at his mother, knowing where his mom was taking the conversation.

"I'm just saying Mike, it's not normal." Karen shrugs, taking a sip of her wine. Mike was sure he never saw his mom without a glass of wine.

"She talks…. mostly to me but she talks." Mike says, feeling his face get hot.

"Aww, Mike has a girlfriend." Nancy chimes in, smiling mockingly at Mike.

Ted Wheeler glances between his family with a bored expression.

"Shut up Nancy." Mike grumbles, kicking her foot.

"Maybe it's time you give him the birds and the bees talk." Nancy continues, smiling vindictively.

"Nancy." Karen warns, raising her eyebrows at her daughter.

"Gross Nancy, I'm only sixteen." Mike supplies.

"Exactly when I was sixteen…..." Nancy trails off, seeing the surprised look on her father's face and the raised eyebrows of her mother.

"What was that Nancy, what were you doing when you were sixteen?" Mike asks, smirking.

"Shut up." Nancy says, her attention going back to her food.

"Oh no please tell us, Nancy, I'm ever so interested." Mike says sarcastically dramatic, putting his chin in his palm and smiling at her innocently.

"That's enough, for once can we just enjoy our meal in silence." Ted grumbles causing the two teens to stop bickering.

"Besides…" Ted continues "The school has already covered that with Michael and the school nurse can provide him with any protection he may need." Ted shrugs, ignoring the shocked look on Karen's face and the betrayed one on Nancy.

"You guys are gross, I'm only sixteen." Mike exclaims, getting up from the table and storming off.

Holly looks at her family in confusion.

* * *

"Do you think Jennifer would go on a date with me?" Dustin asks, sighing dramatically from his place on Mike's bed.

"Probably not." Lucas laughs, moving a piece of the board game he and Mike were playing at the table by the window. Will sits quietly at Mike's desk smiling at his friends.

"So, Lucas told us you gave Eleanor a ride home, do you like her?" Will asks, directing his question at Mike.

"Yeah, she's cool." Mike shrugs.

"Aww, Mike's in love." Dustin teases. Before Mike can reply Lucas is talking.

"Speaking of the mute, you didn't tell me, your bedroom window was facing hers." Lucas says moving to the window and pointing across the way where El was reading a book by her window.

"I didn't notice before, the blinds are always closed." Mike shrugs, crouching beside Lucas to look at her.

"Guys isn't this a bit stalker-ish." Will interjects, frowning at the two boys who were staring out the window.

"Will's right." Mike says, moving back to his place behind the table and away from the window.

"Holy shit, she's undressing." Lucas suddenly proclaims, his eyes widening as he leans forward. Dustin gasps loudly quickly getting up from the bed and attempting to go to the window.

"Nope." Mike shouts, pushing Dustin back on the bed and turning to Lucas.

"Lucas stop, that's wrong on so many levels." Mike pleads, not wanting to go to the window and see anything.

"Shh she hasn't even taken off anything yet." Lucas says.

Mike runs to Lucas toppling him on the ground and away from the window, he reaches up to close the blinds his eyes mistakenly going to El's window where she stands unbuttoning her top. Mike's about to close the blinds when she lifts her head and sees him causing him to freeze.

El's eyes go wide and glances down to her top before she hurriedly yanks her blinds close.

"Shit." Mike sighs.

* * *

 **(Side note: if you want smut** **look for another fic because I sure won't be writing it about these** **KIDS!)**


	4. Chapter 4

Mike rushes down his stairs the next morning, throwing a hoodie on himself as he sprints for the front door.

"Mike, where do you think you're going." Karen calls from the kitchen.

"School." Mike yells back.

"Not without breakfast."

"I have to talk to El." Mike states, his hand going for the front door handle, but his father's voice stills his actions.

"Michael, you heard your mother, now come eat breakfast." Ted says, leaving no room for argument.

Michael huffs, dropping his bag and walking to the kitchen, sitting at the table glumly, throwing his parents a hard glare.

"You can leave once you finish." Karen smiles, putting a plate in front of Mike.

Mike quickly wolfs down his eggs only stopping to take bites of his bacon.

"Slow down Mike, that's disgusting." Nancy says, staring at her younger brother in disgust.

"You're disgusting." Mike bites back, his mouth full. He reaches for his juice drinking it in one gulp.

"Can I go now?" Mike asks, ignoring the disgusted look on his mom's face.

"If you must." Karen sighs, reaching over to help Holly cut her bacon.

Mike leaps from the table and rushes out the door calling a disgruntled "Bye." behind him as he reaches for his school bag.

"Kids." Ted grumbles, shaking his head.

* * *

Mike waits cautiously on his bike, outside the Brenner house, hoping that the lack of a car in the front driveway is a sign that Dr. Brenner has already left for the day.

After a few minutes of waiting, El walks out, locking the door behind her. Once she sees Mike, she walks towards him guardedly, looking uneasy.

"Hey, El." Mike says, his voice tense.

"Hi." El says, stopping in front of him, pulling at her sleeve nervously.

"Um, you look pretty." Mike exclaims, instantly regretting his words when he sees the scowl that takes over her face.

"Hey, El, about last night um I wasn't like being a creep or anything I was just closing the blinds." Mike says, hoping his face isn't as red as he thinks it is.

"Really, because it seemed like…" El trailed off, ducking her head in embarrassment.

"Yeah I know what it looked like but I totally wouldn't watch you undress….not that I like wouldn't want to but yeah I just wouldn't cause you weren't aware um….." Mike scrambles on, stopping when he sees El's faint smile.

"Okay. It's fine." El smiles.

"Cool."

"Cool."

"So, you want a ride to school?" Mike asks, gesturing down at his bike.

"Sure." El shrugs, hopping up behind Mike and throwing her arms around him, her face going into the dip in his shoulder.

"So why doesn't your father ever drive you to school?" Mike questions, as they make their way down the cul-de-sac.

"He's always working, I hardly ever see him." El says.

"That must suck."

"I rather when he's not there, he's not the nicest person." El says, Mike feels her shrug behind him.

"Well, I'm always right next door if you ever want company." Mike says, trying to be nonchalant.

"Thanks, Mike." El whispers, her voice tickling Mike's neck making his stomach flop and a huge grin to take over his features.

* * *

"So, you apologise to the freak about yesterday?" Lucas asks Mike, the second Mike takes his place at their table in the cafeteria.

"Yeah, thanks to you she probably thinks I'm a bonehead." Mike says, scowling at Lucas.

"Well at least she doesn't think your some kind of peeping Tom, I mean she rode with you to school, didn't she?" Dustin asks, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah." Mike says, smiling bashfully looking down at his food in an attempt to hide it from his friends.

"You like her, don't you?" Will asks, smiling earnestly at his friend.

"Yeah, she's cool and nice." Mike shrugs.

"You should invite her to our movie night tonight." Will suggests.

Before Mike could answer Lucas butts in obnoxiously.

"Um no, she's an outsider, we don't know anything about her. What if she's a psychopath."

"Like Michael Myers." Dustin adds in with wide eyes.

"Get real Lucas, she's an innocent girl." Mike rolls his eyes.

"I think you should Mike, she seems to have no friends. We all know what it's like to feel like an outsider." Will says, casting a meaningful look around the table causing Lucas to look down at his food guiltily.

"I guess you could ask her, I mean it's not like she speaks a whole lot so I don't have to worry about her annoying me." Lucas shrugs.

Before Mike can reply he feels a presence from behind him, looking up he sees Eleanor standing hesitantly in front of him holding her lunch in her hands.

"Um, hey El, you want to sit with us?" Mike asks, smiling.

"Yes please." El whispers softly, dropping to the seat right beside Mike, causing Mike's heart to jump a beat and his hands to get clammy.

"So, are you liking Hawkins?" Mike asks, still gazing at El.

"Yeah…different." El shrugs, as she opens her carton of milk.

"How is it different?" Will asks, kindly.

"Never went to school before, always had it at home with a tutor." El says, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"So, you were home-schooled?" Dustin asks.

El nods in reply.

"Why were you home-schooled?" Mike asks, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Papa said it was to keep me safe, he didn't want to lose me like he lost Mama, but I begged him to let me come to school when we moved here." El says, Mike can't help but notice the distant look she gets in her eyes as she speaks.

"That was nice of him." Will says, ever the optimist.

El shrugs, her attention going back to the food in front of her.

"So, El, we were wondering if you would like to come to Mike's house to watch movies tonight." Lucas says, the other three boys look at him in surprise and there's a tell-tale look of pity etched across his features.

"Mike?" El questions looking to him.

"Um yeah it would be totally cool if you could come, we're going to watch a ton of movies and try to get my mom to bake us cookies." Mike says, excitedly.

El smiles radiantly and Mike's breath hitches in his throat, his about to smile back but before he can her smile drops and her shoulders slump in defeat.

"I have to ask Papa." El sighs.

"Oh um, that's cool. When you go home ask him and if he says yes you can meet us at my house at six. Is that alright?"

El nods, smiling slightly.

"I hope he lets you." Mike hears himself saying but before he can scold himself for being such a wasteoid El replies.

"Me too.


End file.
